![]() Othala: an Old Scandinavian runic symbol referring to ‘inherited land’ that is often used by far-right groups. Far-right adherents also favour other characters from the Germanic runic writing system which communicate similar messages. These include numbers representing “Heil Hitler” (88 – H is the eighth letter of the alphabet) or “Aryan Brotherhood” (12 – letters one and two). Neo-Nazis – at least those not brazen enough to wear a swastika – tend to opt for less recognisable symbols. This misappropriation continued after the fall of the Third Reich, though in a more muted form. Beloved of Himmler, the runic script inspired the insignia of the SS, while the swastika is another of those “ancient European symbols” that features in various forms on picture stones and runic inscriptions. There is, of course, a long history of the co-opting of Norse imagery by the far right. Often it contains a swastika or other hate symbol – but worn with nothing inside, it is very easy for other white supremacists to fill in the blank. This is a symbol listed by the Anti-Defamation League as “one of a number of ancient European symbols appropriated by the Nazis in their attempt to invent an idealised Aryan or Norse heritage”. The Norse ‘Sonnenrad’ or sun-wheel, widely co-opted by far-right groups. A hint at where Angeli lies on this continuum is in a tattoo that is less visible on his left shoulder, but which several academics including archaeologist Kevin Philbrook Smith have pointed out seems to be a version of the Sonnenrad, or sun-wheel. But there is no doubt that these symbols have also been co-opted by a growing far-right movement. Many people have similar tattoos which express their neo-pagan belief, Scandinavian heritage, or interest in the myths. He is displaying these tattoos to full effect, and wants them to be seen. Borrowed symbolsĪngeli claims that he wears his bizarre costume to draw attention to himself – but there’s surely another reason for the bare chest and precariously low-slung pants. Whatever its original meaning, it has been used in more recent times by various neo-pagan groups – and increasingly by some white supremacists as a coded message of their belief in violent struggle. Snorri Sturluson, a medieval Icelandic collector of myths, tells us in his “Language of Poetry” that a famous giant called Hrungnir had a stone heart “pointed with three corners”, and so the valknut is sometimes also called “Hrungnir’s Heart”. The Norse ‘Valknut’ symbol is usually linked to the god Odin and may refer to the glory of death in battle. As Odin is closely connected with the gathering of fallen warriors to Valhalla, the valknut may be a symbol of death in battle. The symbol’s original meaning is unclear, but it appears in close proximity to the father of the gods, Odin, on the stones. It depicts a valknut – an image that appears on two Viking-Age stones from Sweden carved with scenes from Norse mythology, including the Stora Hammars I stone on the island of Gotland. Above these tattoos with a central place in Norse mythology is one that is more contentious.
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